Night Journey

Chapter 13 A Century-Long Journey
“Cillian, I was born in a city-state that has been mired in darkness since the year of the rebellion.”

Nunn pointed in a certain direction in the darkness and made a prediction.

"It held out for nearly a century under the siege of rebels, Chaos believers, and demons until the arrival of the Yangkui Clan, which relieved the siege. During the Yangkui Clan's period of rest and recuperation, I joined them and became a member of their expeditionary force."

"Among the many rebels, there was a clan called the Death Omen. They were also one of the original clans derived from the Ten Holy Blood, but during the year of rebellion, they willingly became slaves to Chaos."

Clan leader Frey was enraged and vowed to behead every member of the Deathbringer clan.

Even after a hundred years, Nunn still remembers Frey's appearance and holds him in high esteem.

"We succeeded."

After a century-long pursuit, the Yangkui clan wiped out the Sizhao clan, burning the body of the last member to ashes.

However, the Yangkui clan also paid a heavy price and unknowingly reached the depths of the dark world.

Before we could even rest, we were ambushed by the rebels and Chaos cultists. Even the long-dormant evil spirits rose to the spirit realm to join the desperate siege.

Nunn subconsciously touched his abdomen, where there was a scar that almost severed him at the waist, left from that siege.

"Commander Frey realized that the Sunflower Clan was likely to be wiped out here. In order for the survival of the clan, he led the main force to fight a decisive battle with the enemy, while another group of torchbearers broke through the encirclement under his cover and returned to the civilized world."

I had only recently become a torchbearer when my teacher assigned me to the breakout team. He said, "You've only been a torchbearer for a short time; going there would just be pointless suicide."

Nunn said calmly, "That was the last time I saw him."

"After that, it took us nearly ten years to painstakingly return from the dark world to the civilized world."

We set out with nearly a thousand people, but when we set foot on the outer frontier, only a dozen or so remained. Later, when I arrived at the Holy City of the White Sun, I was the only one left.

Nunn recalled his dark years and smiled sadly.

"I spent my childhood and adolescence in a dark world. It wasn't until I was in my thirties, when I finally emerged from that thick gray fog, that I saw what the sun looked like for the first time."

"I stared at the sun for a long time, and even though it stung my eyes and brought tears to my eyes, I didn't look away."

Nunn joked, "The rest of the story isn't very interesting."

“I sought support from other clans, but more than a decade has passed since that siege. Even though time and space in the spirit world are chaotic and disordered, it must have ended many years ago.”

I then begged them for help in rebuilding the Yangkui clan, but... but this is an era of isolation.

With a long sigh, Nunn's shoulders slumped. Cillian had never seen a teacher like this before, as if his back had been broken.

"As the last bloodline of the Yangkui clan, I stumbled and fell for many years, advancing several ranks, killing many people, and saving many people, but I still couldn't find a way to rebuild the clan. Finally, I came to Baiya Town."

Nunn stomped his foot on the solid ground and sighed.

"I learned about this place from the clan's books."

This land was reclaimed by the Yangkui clan during the Revival Era. They established their base there, and after several changes of ownership, it became the present-day Baiya Town.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” Cillian said, leaning against Nunn. “The mayor’s hall is practically a fortress.”

“Haha,” Nunn sighed after the laughter, “It’s a pity that I never found a way to rebuild the clan, and I also became attached to the people here, so I stayed.”

Nunn carefully opened the box. Inside, there was no rare treasure, only a transparent glass container filled with bright red blood, as if it had just flowed from a human body.

"Commander Frey said that as long as this blood is sent back to the civilized world, the Yangkui Clan can be rebuilt."

"Is this Commander Frey's blood?"

Cillian knew very little about Commander Frey, but he already held him in extremely high esteem.

"I don't know, but this will be the blood that becomes your seed crystal."

Nunn shook his head dismissively, his tone suddenly turning serious.

“Cillian, expose your chest.”

Cillian obediently unbuttoned his collar, exposing his chest.

Nunn is known for his swift and decisive actions.

He pulled out a dagger and ruthlessly slashed open Cillian's chest. The wound was deep, and Cillian gritted his teeth in pain.

Nunn unscrewed the container, and fresh blood, after a century, came into contact with the air once again.

In an instant, Ciri found that everything in the world before him had fallen into a strange stillness, and things had lost their original colors, leaving only varying shades of black and white.

Even the mighty Nun remained in the act of unscrewing the container, turning into a gray sculpture.

In this pale and monotonous world, the only color is the vibrant red in the container.

Whispers came from all directions, as if thousands of ghosts were lingering around Cirion.

"Those who travel and patrol... those who set up trails..."

"A new spark..."

Cillian strained to sweep across the darkness in the distance.

He saw it.

The clouds churned into vortices of varying sizes, filling the entire sky like eyes that had opened and were looking down upon the earth.

Three towering, ethereal giant figures slowly emerged, supporting the sky and the earth like pillars.

An ancient murmur echoed in Cillian's mind, reciting words incomprehensible to ordinary people, almost bursting his consciousness.

Darkness surged in like a tidal wave, and just before it was about to engulf Cirion, the only color in the black and white world moved.

The blood in the container flowed out on its own, like a swarm of snakes, and burrowed into Cirion's wound.

It is the only color, and the only thing with warmth in this cold world.

"The fire... is still burning."

Someone whispered.

The frozen world shattered, colors returned, countless eyes closed helplessly, the vortex collapsed, and the giant phantom vanished into thin air.

Nunn's voice came through.

“According to clan tradition, I should hold a solemn ceremony for you. You will swear an oath to me, and the scribe will record your name and the lineage of your descendants… But our clan has declined to this state, so there’s no need to be so attached to these superficial things.”

The moment the blood entered Cirion's body, his wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Nunn personally buttoned up his coat, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

Cillian didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the darkness in the distance. After several seconds, he looked back at Nunn. Nunn was completely unaware of the strange occurrence that had just happened... it was a nightmare that belonged only to Cillian.

"what happened?"

Cillian paused for a few seconds, then shook his head and said, "It's nothing, teacher, it's just a bit... a hallucination."

Once he was certain that the situation was safe, Cillian focused on sensing the changes in his body.

Ciri inherited the sacred bloodline, and the uncontrollable source energy was tamed, causing his physique to rapidly transform into something extraordinary.

"Different destinies and different ranks will bring different abilities called special traits to extraordinary individuals."

Nunn then began to explain the power system of the Torchbearers.

"Now you have embarked on the first step of the torch-bearer's destiny: the torchbearer."

First, there's the trait "Resilience," which significantly enhances your physical attributes, including stamina, strength, and healing speed.

"Next comes the most core quality of a torchbearer: the soul essence."

"Your blood will gradually coagulate into soul essence, and as your power increases, the concentration of soul essence will also increase."

When engaging in combat with enemies, you can intentionally ignite the essence within your soul for a short period to gain greater power, but this has a significant impact on your body, essentially turning yourself into a burning furnace.

Without Nunn's explanation, the moment Ciri truly became the Torchbearer, he instinctively knew all this information, as if it were an imprint etched into his soul, only to belatedly awaken to it at this moment.

Cillian tried burning his soul essence. His blood vessels turned red and his capillaries reflected the burning patterns. But this time, Cillian felt immense power from it, as if he could split mountains and shatter rocks.

As the burning ceased, the temperature inside his body also decreased. Ciri opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of scorching air from his throat.

Cillian belatedly realized, "Teacher, it's a bit late to say this now. This blood must be very precious, right?"

"It's useless to me, and no one in the entire Baiya Town needs it except you."

Nunn said coldly.

"If it can't be used, it's no different from waste."

Cillian became the torchbearer because of this blood, and naturally he also had to bear the expectations that came with this blood.

"Teacher...do you want me to rebuild the clan?"

Nunn paused for a moment before asking a question in return.

"Cillian, what is your dream?"

This sudden question startled Cillian.

"A dream?"

Cillian frowned and scratched his head.

“I’ve always wanted to see the world, but I don’t think it’s a dream yet, just a stubborn idea.”

He considered it for a moment and then responded.

"If I had to say, I don't have any dreams, teacher."

Nunn listened quietly, his eyes encouraging Cillian to continue.

"Look at Baiya Town, and look at this crazy world. For us who are constantly facing a survival crisis, dreams are a luxury."

Cillian said self-deprecatingly, "In our situation, it's hard to have the energy to pursue lofty things. Being able to read some novels and eat delicious barbecue is already the greatest comfort."

Nunn asked, "Cillian, are you confused?"

"Confused? No, I'm not confused. I know exactly what I need to do next."

Cillian replied confidently, "I will cross the wilderness, go out into the world, solve the plight of White Cliff, and enable everyone to live a safe life."

But for me, it's more like a responsibility than a dream.

He stared into Nunn's eyes and answered.

"Perhaps, I don't have a dream for now."

Nunn replied, "Like the mediocre masses?"

“Yes, just like the mediocre masses,” Cillian said with a sense of relief. “Not having dreams isn’t a serious sin, and being ordinary isn’t so bad.”

Perhaps, people don't necessarily need to have dreams.

Nunn smiled. "Continue, Cillian."

"If having dreams is what makes someone truly alive, then the vast majority of people haven't truly lived; they're just walking corpses striving to survive."

Cillian walked to the high wall and looked out at the brightly lit town of White Cliff.

"But what's the problem with that?"

Many people simply want to live a peaceful and stable life, but in this messed-up world, that's quite a dream, isn't it?

Nunn stood beside Cillian and looked towards White Cliff Town with him.

The two figures' backs were spliced ​​together, no longer resembling master and apprentice, or father and son, but more like a pair of friends having a long talk all night.

In the long silence, the stillness was melodious.

"But... teacher."

Cillian suddenly added, "Having a dream isn't bad."

"Ok?"

"I think people with dreams will live a very fulfilling life."

Cillian stared at the beacon in the distance, its bright light filling his eyes.

He said softly, "Even if you lose a hand or a leg, you can still sleep peacefully on the worst night. Even if you die, you will feel immense happiness."

Nunn nodded in agreement and spoke.

“Cillian, I do not expect you to rebuild the clan.”

"why?"

That's my dream, not yours.

(End of this chapter)